


sorting

by artsyspikedhair



Series: Traumatized Ron/Abusive Weasley fics [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Dursley Family, Draco Malfoy Being an Asshole, Evil Percy Weasley, Legilimency, Molestation, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Severus Snape Being a Bastard, Sibling Incest, Slytherin Harry Potter, Slytherin Ron Weasley, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-01 12:36:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16765294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artsyspikedhair/pseuds/artsyspikedhair
Summary: Another Weasley - NO - Potter's a SlytherinFriendship fills in where family failed Ron Weasley and Harry Potter





	1. why

"Ah, yes, another Weasley," the Sorting Hat announced. "I know just what to do with you!" But the Hat said that before Professor McGonagall placed it on Ron.

NO, thought Ron Weasley, and the Hat watched as memories of older brothers leaving him alone with Percy flashed by. The Hat felt the redhead's disgust, and more than that, his fear. Percy was a prefect and prefects are in charge of first years. Prefects are allowed into the younger boys' dorms, Ron knows that from eavesdropping on Fred and George. Ron had just spent a summer with his family and thought NO, Hat, YOU WILL NOT SORT ME WITH HIM -

And the Hat despised children mocking its authority; "Potter, Harry" was placed in Slytherin for that very reason. But desperation reeked off the young Weasley in waves, desperation self-preservation ambition oh alright.

"Slytherin!" The Hat shouted, and a relieved smile fell onto Ron's face. Professor McGonagall removed the Hat - her surprise from Potter's sorting made her immune to further surprise at Weasley's. From the professors' table, Professor Snape glared at Ron, who'd begun walking to the end of the Slytherin table where Harry from the train was sitting alone.

"Well..." Harry was unsure what to say - both boys had been bad-mouthing Slytherin on their way to Hogwarts. "Reckon it can't be too bad if you're here!"

Ron immediately began filling his plate, raising his eyebrows at Harry's empty one. Tan hands then begun scooping vegetables, while freckled ones attacked the meat. "Least we've got each other, yeah? Still wanna be friends?"

Harry looked at the arrogant blonde who was loudly boasting about already knowing his way around the castle. He had never had a friend before, but even if he did want Malfoy as one, he'd already insulted the pureblood. Harry didn't want to befriend a boy like the wizarding Dudley, and Ron was, if a bit coarse and presumptuous, humble. "Yeah, friends. How do you think your family will take the sorting?" Harry started the conversation. Question asking was allowed here, he had tested the waters earlier on the train.

"Fred and George will tease me mercilessly. Charlie will write pressuring me to join the Quidditch team, guarantee it. Mum will pretend not to be disappointed and reassure me in her letters that she still loves me, but she will put in some rot about how I'm still brave or Gryffindor in spirit if not in reality. Dad will ignore me, as usual. Percy - Percy's the only one I can see being angry about the sorting, and I don't care what the git thinks of me." He had, once. Once, before he knew any better, before he knew wrong when he felt it, Ron had wanted nothing more than to impress Percy. To grow up to be just like him. Then, well, then he turned ten and Dad gave him the Talk where Ron found out his dad thought "what you boys do is fine at home, but outside you can only be seen snogging and/or having sexual relations with witches, not wizards." Meaning his parents had known and done nothing, Percy knew it was wrong (because Dad said during the Talk touching someone who didn't want it was wrong) and still - still did _it_. Ron didn't care about his family outside of Fred, George, and Ginny. He had some warm, friendly feelings for Charlie and Bill, but he didn't love like he was supposed to. He didn't love his family. Not anymore.

Ron realized the silence had turned awkward, and tried to restart the conversation. "What about your family? They okay with you coming to Hogwarts and all?" Harry hadn't brought up anything about his family the entire trip, other than that he was used to hand-me-downs.

"No," Harry laughed bitterly. "I believe my relatives feel the same way about me that you do about Percy." Ron swallowed. Was his resentment that obvious? At home Ron simply avoided all contact regarding Percy, but at Hogwarts avoiding a prefect, even on the express, was impossible.

"They really hate you? What'd you do to them?" Ron regretted that question the moment it left his mouth. Harry's joy from eating vanished as he responded.

"Existing while being magical was enough to earn me a decade living in a room the size of the train compartment." Then, Dumbledore began speaking to the crowd. Harry's relief at the distraction must've shown, because Ron muttered an apology for the question. Or possibly for Harry's answer.

Ron feared what Harry must think of his obvious hatred towards his sibling, but he couldn't think of a way to explain that it wasn't like Harry's family without going into what Percy did. But that would occur later, when trust developed and Malfoy wasn't two seats away eavesdropping enviously. For now, Ron dug in to dessert.


	2. Professor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snape’s perspective

Severus Snape was not easily surprised - as a manipulative man, he could not afford to fall apart whenever something appeared off. Severus not only was a world-class Occlumens, but also suppressed his emotions the way most people do - allowing only numbness, annoyance, and anger to surface. The last time Severus Snape openly showed shock and grief was when he first learned that Lily Evans died. He allowed his emotions to make decisions for him, and ended up being manipulated into employment by Albus Dumbledore. Severus despised the years of his life wasted teaching, trapped in the same environment that he had been humiliated and traumatized in. Unwilling to despise himself, he projected all his hatred for the situation on to the children he had been entrusted to teach.

To the many children looking at the professors’ table after the sortings of the boy who lived and the youngest male Weasley, Professor Snape appeared as cold and menacing as he had been the last time they saw him. Utterly unaffected by the drama unfolding in front of him. And the only real show of his emotions came through the slightly more angry than normal glare at the Gryffindor table, as though blaming the house for not holding the Potter brat there. He exited the Great Hall with graceful dignity, robes trailing behind him, inconveniencing all the people around him who had to avoid stepping on the Potions Master’s robes.

Internally, the professor used the walk to the dungeons as a time to order his thoughts. Behind the stoic mask contained a man who unconsciously feared the Potter boy’s sorting. The hat’s decision proved the brat was not a reincarnation of James Fleamont Potter, and that meant Severus’ dislike of the boy was irrational. Consciously, the man seethed. He was unsure who he despised more, Potter for existing or Weasley for creating a situation where Professor Snape might have to discipline his Slytherins. The other students were not going to take Weasley’s presence in their house very well. His family was filled to the brim with blood traitors, the obnoxious twins had pranked the majority of the upperclassmen in Slytherin, and the privileged aristocrasts tended to irrationally mistreat the poor. Snape’s own mistreatment at the hands of wealthy blood traitors partially fueled his decisions to join the Death Eaters. 

‘The first years were being led by the prefect Flint. The Malfoy heir was already attempting to start a fight against Potter, insulting the boy’s disheveled appearance. Professor Snape intervened, already intent on keeping Malfoy an ally by blaming Potter. Everything is always Potter’s fault.

”Mr. Potter, our new _celebrity_. I do hope you are not fighting in the corridors after having been explicitly instructed not to. You should know your fame means nothing, absolutely _nothing_ , to me.”

”N-no, sir.” Potter looked like a ghost had walked through him, he was shaking in fear. Severus felt a surge of satisfaction that immediately vanished when Weasley interjected. 

“Professor, Draco was the one insulting and shoving us!”

” **QUIET**! I do not expect my students to be telling me stories about who said what or did this or that. Snitching is not tolerated in Slytherin House. Nor is, as Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy did, allowing a professor to catch you breaking rules. As it is the first day and I have too many obligations this early to be wasting time in detentions, consider this a warning. Either deal with your differences quietly, or have the subtlety required to avoid detection. Now bed, all of you. Hogwarts assigns you rooms in pairs. Your names should be on the door of your room and your trunks by the beds.”

Harry and Ron were pleased to discover they shared a room. Still, Malfoy’s pleased smirk stayed in both their minds for a while. Harry spent the night dreaming about Professor Snape shoving him into the wall of his cupboard over and over again.


	3. First impressions

Ron woke up hard and hating himself. He’d dreamt about Percy _again_. The memories of his - er- _present_ for starting Hogwarts did not exactly help the matter. Ron may have despised the actions, but his body enjoyed them with all the vigor of any boy entering puberty. Ron Weasley began his first day of Hogwarts taking a long, hot shower, touching himself and intentionally refusing to think. By the time he finished and dressed, he was awake enough to notice Harry was gone.

Ron remembered the way back to the Great Hall pretty well, and the sight of the other students let him know that he was in the right place. Harry Potter was sitting at the Slytherin table far away from the other students, mostly upperclassmen. Ron sat across the table from the boy-who-lived, the thought of even someone accidentally touching him entirely unappealing. Harry’s plate was covered with fruit and toast, but nothing else. Ron grabbed food from as many dishes as he could, hungrier than he’d been in days.

“Heya mate, what’s up?” Ron asked, mouth half-stuffed with bacon. Harry startled, flinching.

”I’m used to waking up early. Hey, do you know if-“ Harry lowered his voice, unsure if he should even ask the question. “-if- I feel like everyone is staring at me. Am I doing something wrong, should I not be eating right now or?”

Ron swallowed, surprised by Harry’s surprise about the attention. “You’re not doing anything wrong, mate, you’re just famous. They’e not used to the child they grew up hearing defeated the worst most evil wizard ever do normal stuff like eat toast. You’re allowed to eat here.” Harry visibly relaxed at Ron’s reassurance, and Ron felt immediately grateful. Even on the worst days, after angering his parents enormously, even then Ron’s family never denied him food. They might deny desserts, but never breakfast. Ron almost felt guilty, but the emotion was vague and he smothered it by eating.

Two red headed Gryffindors appeared behind Harry. The twins. 

“Ronnykins!” One twin shouted, while the other called him “Our slimy Slytherin sibling!”

”Fred, George, this is Harry.“

”Ahh, the great Lord Potter!” Fred bowed sarcastically, while George plopped down on Harry’s other side. George snatched a piece of bacon off the table, winking at Harry. “We’re honored to merely be in your presence. This stinky one over here,” the twin pointed at Ron, “seems to think you two are friends. You should know, you befriend one Weasley, you’re stuck with us all.”

”I already chose my side. I alienate half the house by my existence, I’m not exactly the hottest guy in the school. I need all the friends I can get. Besides, you’ll be making up for eleven years of none.”

”Eleven years without a friend!” An obviously exaggerated gasp occurred. “Well, no wonder your standards are so low. Let us know if any of the Slytherins are git’s, we can prank em for you.”

”Anyway, Ronnykins, we came over to warn you. Percy sent mum and dad a Howler after the feast ranting about the sorting.”

Gregory Goyle chose that moment to show up and make a scene. “GRYFFINDORS! You already have a table! Stay where you belong, you mangy cats!” 

“And that’s our cue.” Without any warning the taller twin (Fred) threw a candy at Goyle, who was dumb enough to eat it. Ron shooed Harry out of the Great Hall, knowing that the fat minion was going to blame them if they didn’t disappear. They needed their bags anyway. Goyle ate breakfast normally, and all seemed well.

Only halfway through the first lesson of Charms, Greg’s face turned pink. Then purple. Then blue. Then he began swelling.

Ron whispered to Harry what was happening as Vincent Crabbe rolled Goyle to the hospital wing. “Zonko’s makes this candy for your enemies. It essentially turns them into a blueberry. Based off some muggle movie.”

”Willy Wonka” Harry whispered back. “My cousin saw that movie. I heard the songs.”


	4. Moodswing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy shows up in the worst way possible.

History of Magic bored Ron to pieces, despite being taught by a ghost, a fact that fascinated Harry. Harry, invoking the rest of the first year Slytherins’ ridicule, took detailed notes, genuinely interested in the first written evidence of magic. Ron spent the class worrying about his parents’ reaction to his sorting.

On the way to Herbology, Ron asked Harry how he paid attention to Binn’s monotone. “I was locked in a cupboard most of my childhood. I am physically incapable of being bored.” Harry said this in a monotone, making Ron snicker at the coincidence.

Herbology was a two house class - Gryffindor was more interested in starting a fight rather than starting a garden. Malfoy, now without his cronies to entertain him, took the bait, and soon worms and roots were flying.

Professor Sprout noticed the commotion once a leaf covered in pus landed on Neville Longbottom, the boy whose work she had been complimenting. Gryffindor lost forty points, Slytherin twenty.

Ron and Harry were both laughing at the time they had watching the fight while walking to lunch. It was then Ron saw **him**. Ron involuntarily shuddered. Percy was walking towards them. Percy was alone. He slipped a hand into the waist of Ron’s pants under his robes, feeling Ron’s genitalia while Ron froze. The hallway was deserted. Ron was against the wall, and Harry had continued walking. The encounter was over in a minute.

”Ron! Ron, what happened?! Harry turned around and Percy was walking away. Percy had moved so quickly, Ron was halfway convinced that he hallucinated, but his nerves were tingling and his body was glitching. Ron was shaking, blinking back tears. Hand gripping his wand as though it was a part of him. A minute of distraction plus the quick fingers were all it took to utterly destroy the momentary happiness.

“One day! Just one day he doesn’t ruin, doesn’t touch me or look at me like I- like I’m prey. That’s all I wanted. I- I’m sorry, I can’t eat anything anymore. Go ahead, you need food. I’ll be in our dorm.” 

Harry was utterly confused, so he followed Ron’s directions. He ate as quickly as he could, then ran to the Slytherin commons.

”Password?”

”Ssorry I don’t know it,” Harry said, not realizing that he was speaking Parseltongue. The door let him in.

”Ron?” Ron was curled up in bed, sobbing. Harry was reminded of how he felt after Dudley played a few games of Harry Hunting. Harry was never allowed to show emotions the way Ron was, but he understood the urge. “Ron? Can I-”

”Go ahead.” Harry sat on the bed. Ron felt the sudden urge to tell Harry, to trust the boy who was starved and locked up. Harry might understand. The urge was Hogwarts magic, only neither realized that. 


	5. Telling

“Tell me,” Ron asked, hoping for an answer that meant he could reveal the truths that were weighing on him. “Do I remind you of your family? Because I hate Percy the way they hated you?”

Harry was scared. He had been sorted into Slytherin for his selfish instincts, the ones that made him think every action was a reaction to him - _the instincts that kept him alive in a house where every action was a sign of punishment to come, every subtle shift in tone or posture a reminder that the Dursley family was only keeping their rage hidden in order to seem normal, instincts necessary when the moment a door closed his uncle went from chuckling good-naturedly to throttling Harry into a chokehold_ \- but he also was not used to being around someone who didn’t hate him. Ron seemed to care about Harry - about Harry’s opinion of Ron. Harry gulped. The silence as Harry thought made Ron tense, anxious and regretting the question. 

“I-I’m not used to people. I know you- you wizards seem to think I’ve lived my entire life aware that I’m some hero, but I’m not. I don’t think you are at all like my cousin or my aunt and uncle; if anything, Draco is the one who reminds me of them.” Harry laughed nervously and Ron joined in.

Harry continued. “I - I’m not used to being around anyone expressing anger or hatred directed at anyone who isn’t me, though. I trust you, sort of, you’ve given me no reason not to and whatever your brother did seems like- you should be angry. You should be- I don’t know. I just sort of react to glares and faces and tension because at home someone clenching their fist meant it would have been crashing down on me next even though I think you aren’t like that and I do want to be your friend! I’m sorry.” Harry was staring at the floor. Ron had sat up at some point, and was looking at Harry. Harry felt the urge to apologize again, but feared. 

“Hey. Hey Harry, I’m not mad at you, mate, I’m impressed. Telling me all that, hell, surviving all that shit is bloody impressive! I’m sorry for asking such a personal question. Would- Er,” Ron Weasley was, for the first time since Percy had come home that summer, feeling brave. He glanced at Harry, who was still avoiding eye contact. “I want to tell you why I hate Percy. I don’t want to make you feel bad though, and the - the reason’s bad. Not- not bad in the same way your parents- shit, I mean relatives, I’m so sorry!” Ron was surprised to look up to see Harry Potter laughing at him.

” I’ve never heard so much swearing in my life, mate! It’s fine, I get it, sometimes I forget I’m an orphan too.” Ron began laughing at that. Soon both boys were in stitches, rolling on the bed laughing. 

Unfortunately, their ruckus gained the attention of Professor Snape, who had come to warn his Slytherin that dinner was in half an hour and all must attend. 

Severus Snape was a Slytherin for a reason, and a Legilmens for an even less ethical reason. He was, damn everything, curious about the Weasley and Potter brats. They’d missed their first Potions class, but the professor had no desire to alert them of the fact. The first years would panic at the realization, that might be punishment enough. Besides, the laughter subsided and Potter had mumbled a response to the other student. 

“I don’t- Words always fail when I try to tell anyone about it.” Severus heard enough. Wand out, he said the spell, entering a chaotic whirlwind of sensation and emotional reaction that could only be Weasley’s mind. The boy felt disgusted and scared and, incomprehensibly to Professor Snape, pitying towards _Potter,_ only it made sense to Weasley because Weasley had all the facts and none of the biases Snape had. 

“Percy always was more- physical with me than he was with my other brothers. I mean, the twins hated him, and I’m the youngest boy, so I went to Percy for comfort most of the time when I had a nightmare or something. I don’t-“ Memories of Ron younger being caressed flitted through the redhead’s mind, younger and fuzzier as he tried to “remember when the touching became less than innocent. I didn’t know it was wrong. I was a kid. I don’t know how to- you’ve had the Talk, right?”

Harry nodded. “Percy made me do things with him. The summer after his first year, he-“ Oh Merlin, Severus remembered Percy Weasley’s first year. The DADA Professor was a witch who later became arrested for molesting children. “He made- he transfigured me into a girl and I didn’t want it, I didn’t!” Weasley was crying, remembering how he struggled to make his brother stop, get off him, this wasn’t fun anymore Percy please “He made me have sex with him.”

”Ron, that-“ Harry was shocked, and suddenly relieved that his family hated him. At least they hadn’t done _that_ to him. “That’s awful. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

” He didn’t just do it once. The past three summers, he’s made me-“ Ron Weasley sobbed. “In the hallway today, he grabbed my- my - y’know” Ron pointed. “And I- I got hard. I liked it, but I don’t- I’m a freak, Harry. You should find a better friend.”

Severus Snape never claimed to be a good person. He never confronted the boys, or took them to Madam Pomfrey. He proceeded to make their seven years at Hogwarts miserable, as was his plan. But, the headmaster received a vial of memories that evening. Dumbledore did nothing, as a proponent of second chances and bias towards Gryffindor, but Severus fulfilled his duty. Percy received a Troll on every Potion he made. The end.


End file.
